History Matters...

I spent two hours in my favorite south central Minnesota town tonight listening to a conservator from the Minnesota Historical Society talk about some of the simple things we can do to slow the impact of aging for those precious family keepsakes, including photos. Allow me to pass along a few notable ideas:

• First, when you're shopping and see the term "archival" on a scrapbook or frame or album, beware. Archival is a generic, even meaningless term tossed on products for the purpose of sales, much like the label "no added sugar" on food products.
  
• Public Enemy No. 1 of organic products, meaning paper or textiles (including photos) is ultra-violet light. If you have something you wish to preserve for decades, you need to limit its exposure to light. You can do this by displaying the item in a windowless room, framing it using glass that has a UV filter, or simply storing it in darkness.
  
• If you have cardboard backing up any precious framed photos, get rid of it right away and replace it with acid-free paper.
  
• Never use adhesives to mount photos, prints, or anything in a frame. Use photo corners, adhesive mounts (where the adhesive doesn't touch the art) or even corners clipped from an acid-free envelope.
  
• Always make sure framed artifacts, including photos, don't touch the glass of the frame. Use a window mat or spacers to get a slim cushion of air into the frame. Once an old photo gels up (possible on humid days) and sticks to glass, it's there for good.
  
• Never laminate photos or documents, but do place brittle papers in polyester film to protect them from further deterioration.
  
• If you plan to use plastic to protect anything, including photos and slides, look for plastic that is labeled as having NO PVC. If the label isn't clear, put the plastic to your nose. If it has that "plastic" smell, don't use it.
  
• If, like me, you're fond of storing family treasures in a cedar chest, either line the chest with a acid-free paper, or wrap treasures in a cotton sheet. Don't let the cedar (or any wood product) come into contact with something you wish to preserve.
  
• If you are a gun collector, keep the old guns and lead bullets out of an oak cabinet. That goes for silver too.
  
• Last but not least, label the backs of photographs with identification using a dull, No. 2 pencil. Remember, a photo without a name has no value at all!